Royal Mail boss must remember his 'magnificent' staff

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/roy ... 36250.html

City Comment: Postal workers are among the heroes of the pandemic

For years the relationship between Royal Mail and its staff was best characterised as a bar room brawl.

Successive managements tried to hack back at benefits, notably pensions, while unions held firm.

Last year some sort of truce was reached – and this year the staff knocked it out of the park.

Today’s soaring profits at a business once regarded as moribund are down to two things: the pandemic and the postal workers.

The executives might have had some neat ideas about Sunday delivery or the use of drones, but that’s just detail.

Do management get this? Well, they are saying the right things. New CEO Simon Thompson says his people are “magnificent”.

Many of us, who until this year never even saw the person delivering our mail and have now got to know them, feel the same.

This year will be trickier for the business than last, since we can’t be sure if the home shopping boom is a permanent changed behaviour or not.

Royal Mail isn’t giving any guidance on revenues for 2021-2022, which is probably why the shares got biffed today.

What that lack of guidance shows is that management are largely at the whim of circumstances beyond their control, and are sort of admitting that.

So if the results next year as anything like as good as today’s it will once again be down to the men and women eating up shoe leather every day in our service.

There have been bonuses here and there in recognition of that. But in the longer run, Thompson and co should remember to whom they owe their success and act accordingly.

[cockneyrebel]

They say the truth hurts True Blue
And you could not have put it better !!
The success entirely down to ordinary postmen and women of this company
No innovations of any nature from Senior Management made slightest difference to those figures
Most people think the on-line shop will continue, and even if it does waiver, it wont be immense/little impact re parcels in general.
A dividend re shares??? - when Management aware most staff sold them years ago Pathetic !!!
A £200 one off payment barely put a dent in the profits !! The very least that should be happening
The fatigue/pressures/illness/injury level off the scale re the last 14 months.
Revisons/Productivity agreements who cares !!
It wont alter the fundamnetal problem-not enough staff-to many part-timers, less people than ever trained on IPS/Parcel Sorting etc
Walks failing-Covid always be in the background
Company pays out Overtime like Confetti-only way delieveries happen !!
People leaving the Industry at a greater rate than ever before-despite the current economic conditions
We lost 7 this year so far
From past knowledge, only NHS worse sick rate than ours ?? might not be so now-but I would not bet on it !!
The 2,000 managers re £147 million put aside for their departure re 2020/1 ANY NEWS how many have actually gone ??
Feel sure £100 million of the above figure-could be included in figures just announced-so profit even higher ??
Time for Messrs Thompson Williams to show what we mean to them in more that words-just as you state True Blue
But I wont be holding my breath
Luckily very little time left here now, retirement beckoning -Job had to change aware of that, but the people who know the walks/systems best should be the one to have more input.
What the Customer wants ??
Your Business is only as good as the People in it

[POSTMAN]

I'm bored with listening about how amazing the NHS is, frontline staff I can't fault them, everyone deserves a medal and a massive bonus ect obviously.
But I think posties have been done over in all this and have not got the recognition they deserve.
Especially at the start where as you know there was no PPE or any type of safe guards at all, not even anywhere for a lot to wash their f***ing hands for christs sake.
Unbelievably done over.

[cobrakai]

I'm bored with listening about how amazing the NHS is, frontline staff I can't fault them, everyone deserves a medal and a massive bonus ect obviously.
But I think posties have been done over in all this and have not got the recognition they deserve.
Especially at the start where as you know there was no PPE or any type of safe guards at all, not even anywhere for a lot to wash their f***ing hands for christs sake.
Unbelievably done over.

We have been Royally shafted from the start. The staff mostly attended without fail even when we had no idea of the danger we faced. We had no ppe as you mentioned and the union yet again feebly responded but we got £200… (4 month later).

Profits went through the roof we got nothing apart from another royal shafting in the form of a agreement that so far has caused endless arguing in my office and the virtual redundancy/unemployment of circa 250 Anguard workers (many of whom worked through most of the pandemic). What a lovely way to value your staff. Incidentally some of them have been Anguard for 7 years!! Offered 50 temporary jobs for them….

[captain kaos]

We got £200 even then we got shafted £60/70 in stoppages while ppl where getting 80% for staying at home. Not there fault but just saying

[Coffee lover]

We also couldn’t share a van were taking mountain of parcels in van and working till 4-5 every day and all the managers say is why did it take so long!

[POSTMAN]

Keith Williams - Chairman
After thanking us...
I'd also like to pay tribute to the Board who have not only given up their time during day as well evenings and weekends as the year has developed to ensure that the group has kept on track.

[Mr Rush]

I'd also like to pay tribute to the Board

When it's us that's the metaphorical sense of the phrase to 'pay tribute'. When it's the board I suspect it'll be the literal sense of the phrase.